1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flare stopper which reduces the occurrence of ghost and flare, and a taking lens unit having the flare stopper.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A lens barrel of a camera, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,343, is generally provided with a flare stopper to prevent the occurrence of flare. The ring-shaped flare stopper is made of thin polyester film (known under the trade name of “Mylar”) having a thickness of approximately 0.03 to 0.05 mm. Incident light upon a taking lens passes through a circular opening defined by the inner periphery of the flare stopper to reduce the occurrence of flare.
There is a case, however, where a part of incident light reflected by the inner periphery of the flare stopper causes ghost or flare, even if such a flare stopper is adopted.